October 28, 2007...2:56 am
A Company Skilled at Accompanying
Community grows to mean something very different when you are living in another culture. There are very few times in life when one is as painfully aware and proud of one’s community of residence. Last weekend a yearly conference was held in Arusha for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America mission community working in Tanzania and Rwanda.
The community drove, flew and rode buses for hours to break bread as one. It is a community dearly loved by its participants.
Our time together was lead by Tom and Sally Roach who go above-and-beyond to make those of us in mission feel at peace in the countries that we now all call home.
During our three days together we were joined by Rev. Rafael Malpica Padila, Executive Director of Global Missions, and Gaylord Thomas, Program Director for East Africa. Both spoke to the group about the Church’s vision of global mission, the accompaniment model of 
mission work and the growing partnerships enjoyed worldwide by the ELCA. Here is the news: good things are happening around the world caused by people who are called to leave their communities of comfort to join new communities in new places.
The community that gathered in Arusha, Tanzania, last week was full of passion, knowledge, hope and pure joy – not only to be together but to be accompanying the church in Rwanda and Tanzania. I was never more proud to stand with this group for a family photo.
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